HS WRESTLING: Bears first, Dawgs second at WCAL tourney
PHOTOS BY LISA McGINTY
Dalton’s Greyson Siders wrestles an opponent at the WCAL meet at Dalton. Siders was named MVP.
Dalton’s Kaden Russell
Dalton’s Bram McCourt
PHOTO FROM WAYNEDALE ATHLETICS FACEBOOK
The Golden Bears placed first as a team and won the Wayne County Athletic League title for the 12th straight year.
DGKN staff report
DALTON For the 12th straight year, Waynedale’s wrestling team placed first as a team and the Bears were crowned the Wayne County Athletic League champions. Coach Louie Stanley was named 2023 WCAL Coach of the Year.
The Bulldogs came in second place at the tournament, which was hosted by Dalton. Waynedale scored 197.0; Dalton and Chippewa were close with 150.5 and 150; Northwestern scored 75.0 followed closely by Rittman with 73.5. Smithville had 38.0; Norwayne scored 8.0 and Hillsdale 4.0.
Three Dalton wrestlers won their respective weight classes: Bram McCourt, Greyson Siders and Cohen Riggenbach. Siders was named MVP. Micah Boyer came in second place, as well as Jaxon Ryder, Kaden Russell and Seth Ryder. Sam Ediger had a third-place finish as did Aiden Pelfrey and Matthew VonBonin.
“We have to get back to work this week and really focus on ourselves,” Dalton Head Coach Kenton Lemon said in an email. “Our kids are extremely focused and ready for the sectional tournament. Physically, I think we are in good shape. This is a fun group to coach and I know they are willing to put that work in for the next week.
“We add some teams at our Sectional to the WCAL and it becomes a true test of where we stand in Division 3. Not only will we be up against the county schools but now we add some really solid individuals and teams to our Sectional and it just continues to get more exciting. There will be some really big matchups at our sectional (as there always are) that lead to big matchups at our district. This is a pivotal weekend in the season and we are certainly looking forward to it.”
